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Nouns (words that name a person, place, thing, or idea) may serve as subjects or objects. | Although in English nouns can be used as modifiers, overuse of noun modifiers can lead to a lack of clarity. Purists may demand stricter rules on usage, but, as with the use of nouns as verbs (see , Correct and Preferred Usage, Back-formations), the process of linguistic change is inevitable, and grammatical rigor must be tempered by judgment and common sense. In The Careful Writer, Bernstein advises the use of no more than 2 polysyllabic noun modifiers per noun for the sake of

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